Raw-water ice system



J. A. MARTOCELLO RAW WATER 10E SYSTEM March 17, 1931,

Fvled Jan. 1l 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet l MalCh 17, 1931. 1 A, MARTOCELLQ 1,795,759

I RAW WATER. ICE SYSTEM Filed Jan. 1, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f l n f l l l f f r l a 5 l,

wmxmw 16 IV-F March 17,1931- J. A. MARTocELLo nAw WATER ICE sYsTEn med Jan. 1, 192s s sheets-sheet s Patented Mar. 17, 1931 iPATENT OFFICE JOSEPH A. MARTOCELL, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA RAWjWATER ICE SYSTEM Application led January 1, 1923. Serial No. 610,081.

'I0 convenient and efficient use.

A further purpose is to provide tap con nection into the usual commercial pipe lateral or header that will not work loose and leak in service.

A further purpose is to avoid dirt and scale from the lateral, which frequently clogs throttling oriiices or contaminates the ice, by tappiner at right angles to the iiow and from the middle of the lateral.

A further purpose is to place the throttling orifice where it is accessible for cleaning and inspection, at the plug member of a plug and socket coupling between the air tube in the can and a flexible connection to the air header or air lateral.

A further purpose is to provide a bank or group of connected air cans, handled as a unit, with automatic valve mechanism for turning on the air as the unit is connected up.

A further purpose is to fit the terminal of a flexible air pipe for connection with air pipes of* different diameters.

A further purpose is to provide an offset terminal for connection with the air pipe to keep the connections out of the line of movement of the ice during the discharge oi the ice from the can.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and claims.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by but oney main form with minor modications, selecting a form that is practical and effective, inexpensive and easy7 to manufac ture and which well illustrates the principles 4.5 involved.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary partly sectional elevation illustrating my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1 to reduced scale and showing the invention applied to several cans.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of a ring washer shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top plan view illustrating a somewhat different layout from that of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section through a tank and cans with a cover in place.

Figures 6 Aand 7 are sectional detail elevations showing in slightly modified forms the connection between the header and the air tube for the layout` of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a top plan view illustrating a third form of layout.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevation and vertical sectionthrough a can, air pipe and connections.

Figure 10 is a side elevation ofa terminal which may be used by me. y Figure 11 is a broken side elevation, partly in section, showing a terminal similar to that of Figure 10 in position within an air tube.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary top plan view y illustrating the connection to units or groups of cans within crates or baskets.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary side elevation of the structure seen in Figure 12.

Figure 14.` is an enlargement of a portion of Figure l2.

Figure 15 is an enlargement of a portion of Figure 13.

Figure 16 is an enlarged section of Figures 11 and 12 showing the means for holding a lateral in a unit.

Figure 17 is a section through the automatic valve shown at the` left in Figure 12.

Figure 18 is a section upon line 18-18 of Figure 17 In all the figures like numerals refer to like parts.

Describing in illustration and not in limitation and referring to the drawingsz I take up first the invention as used in the layout of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The air lateral 15 is tapped with T connection 16 and supplies diagonally opposite cans 17 with introduction of agitating air through flexible hose connections 18,` plug and socket couplings 19 and air tubes 20,

loosely carried by brackets 21 from the sides of the ice cans 17.

To keep dirt and scale from entering the tap, I extend the tap shank 22 to approximately the middle of the lateral, where the air velocity is a maximum and the quantity of dirt and scale carried by the air is a minimum. Such dirt and scale as is present at the middle of the lateral is too heavy and its velocity is too high for it to Vturn at the abrupt angle requisite for entering the tap along with the relatively very light air. As a result the air enters the tap substantially free from dirt and scale.

I place a ring 23 of lead or other sufficiently plastic metal between the shoulder 2a of the tap fitting 16 and the lateral 15, to prevent the tap connection from working loose and leakingin service. I have used aluminum also for this purpose.

The T is intended to be set in alignment with the lateral and the compressibility of the ring permits additional tightening of the T, if necessary to secure this alignment, 28

after the concave side 25 of the ring has been forced against the pipe by pressure ofthe T shoulder against the fiat side of the ring.

The soft metal ring support around the shank of the T 16 gives the fittingadequate Vsupport and tightness and permits a tightening of the T not only in alignment with the pipe but, if this be not desired, at any angular position with respect to the lateral.

The throttling orifice 27 between the lateral and the air tube F20 is located upon the plug,` 'member 28 of the plug and socket Vcoupling 19, giving very easy access to it for cleaning.

VrIhe projection of the end 19 about the orifice protects from clogging by any small amount of dirt or scale and when there is enough accumulation in the pocket 29 formed to interfere with air passage the parts are readily disconnected and cleaned.

The socket member 80 of this couplingis fiar-ed to -guide the plug or a thawing needle and is drained at 81 to prevent ice from forming at this point. i' Q Y In the layout of Figures 4t to 7, during the freezing operation the air tubes 2O hang'from a transverse lateral lwhich is temporarily placed across the tops Ofa'number of cans, 'being lfed in anysuitable manner from a header or other supply not shown. Y

The air tubes are separately `connected by plug and socket coupling 19 to the flexible hose connections 82 carried by the tap fittings 16l which are tapped. into the header. Asbefore the shankof the fitting is made to extend substantially to the middle of the air-supply pipe, thus avoiding the entrance into the tube of dirt and scale with the air. As before the soft metal ring support 23 may be compressed between they air supply pipe and the shoulder of the tap, thus strengthenving the tap connection so that it may not gradually work loose and leak in Service.

In all of these forms the T is given full opening from the lateral or header.

In Figure 7 I havewshown the throttling orifice 23 placed at the entrance to the tap fitting to illustrate the advantage of the soft metal ring and inlet near the axis of the lateral even where the full advantage of my invention is not obtained by locating the throttling opening at the end of the flexible connection farthest from the lateral or header. f The drop tube could be directly connected to the flexible tube without terminal In the layout of Figures 8 and 9 the arrangement is substantially the same as in Figures 1 and 2 with the exception that the air tube is permanently fastened in onecorner of the can instead of removablydepending along the can axis from a bracket.

I f special measures have been taken to eliminate moisture from the air supply before it reaches the laterals, this arrangement is preferable in that the tube is vmore out of the way and does not have to be handled, but unlessV such special and` relatively costly measures have been taken I prefer placing the tube near the can axis,l where ice forms last and the tube is jacketed with water until the freezing operation is practically coinplete. As long as the tube is jacketed with water instead of ice the interior of the tube remains free from accumulating ice and snow precipitated from the moisture in the-incoming air, that rapidly collects if such spe- T- cial measures 'have not been taken to eliminate the moisture in the air before it reaches the tube'.

In raw water ice systems where dehydrated air is used Aand where the air pipe within the can is against the side of the can, the desirability of having the water in the can initially as low in temperature aspossible makes it freeze very rapidly after the can is submerged, giving butlittle time for connection of the lateral to the air pipe. Sometimes before the terminal upon the flexible air con-y nection is insertedwithin the air pipe the air pipe itself has frozen up preventing aeration of the can through that pipe. Under these conditions it is very desirable to substitute another air pipe which may be put down within the unfrozen part of the can to save this can of ice from becoming opaque.

However, the terminal inlets for air pipes intended to be separately supported in the can are usually larger than for those attached to the side of the can for the reason that the separately supported tubes must acco1nmodate a thawing needle.

It the operator has delayed making the connection to the side of the pipe and has found it frozen up he can quickly and easily attach the same terminal to a drop tube. such as may, tor example, be carried by a bracket, by means of the terminal shown in Figure 10 in which I show two diameters ot terminal 19 and 192, intended to tit the two sides ot air pipes respectively. The smaller diameter of terminal 19 tits the side tube and the larger diameter 192 lits the separate tube.

There a group or set ot cans is rigidly held together within a basket, crate or trame 33, so as to make it possible to handle the entire group or set as a unit, I provide for automatic opening ot the air valve with connection of each set by an automatic valve ot which a very desirable form is shown at 34. This automatic valve is held open in use for ilow of air from the header to the lateral, but when the lateral is disconnected from the header stops flow of air from the header protecting the header against air leakage. As shown the valve comprises male and temale parts 35 and 36 of which the latter is secured at the lett of Figure 12 in a header 37. A male or operating valve member is mounted upon a flexible pipe 38 secured to a lateral 39 which may be clamped by bracket 40 and hook bolt l1 against the side of the frame work or can.

The female valve member carries a valve seat 42 closed by a valve 43 mounted upon a stem 44, terminating in a cross bar 45. This bar extends within an enlarged mouth 46 tapered to receive the tapered end 47 ot the male member. The parts are proportioned so that the terminal 47 becomes air tight when the bar has been shoved by the end 48 of this terminal far enough to properly open the valve. The valve is automatically closed by the How of air when the parts are disconnected.

A similar automatic valve member is secured to the opposite end of the lateral so that each lateral carries a valve member at one end and an operating member at the other. As a result a series of sets or blocks can be connected, one to the other, each connection automatically supplying air and each disconnection cutt-ing oli' the air.

Y As the cakes ot ice are discharged trom the cans without disconnection of the lateral, I bend in two or more planes the terminal 193 by which the air taps 49 are connected through flexible pipes 18 with the corner air pipes 20. This enables me to keep the flexible pipes out of the path of ice discharge. The air pipes here are intended to be rigid with the sides of the cans but by the use ot two different tube diameters for connection at 19, if the pipe 20 becomes frozen up connection can be made with a separate pipe dropped into the can just outside of the frozen part in some such position as shown by the circle 50.

For convenience in making connections be tween the parts et' the automatic valve I mount a handle upon the operating member of the valve at the end ot its flexible connection, this handle being shown generically at 51. i

I appreciate that others skilled in the art, in view ot' my invention and disclosure, may see modiiications and variations to meet individual whim or particular need and it is my purpose to cover herein all such varia tions and modifications in. so tar as they tall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an air system for an ice plant, an air supply pipe, a tap therefrom extending into the pipe where the section of the pipe is curved, an annular shoulder on the tap outside of the pipe, a solid compressible ring around the tap on the pipe side curved to fit the contour of the pipe and bodily compressed between the shoulder and air pipe, a can, an air-tube extending down into the can, and connections from the tap to the tube.

2. In an air system for an ice plant, an air supply pipe, a tap therefrom extending into the pipe approximately to the middle thereof where the section ot the pipe is curved. an annular shoulder on the tap outside of the pipe, a solid compressible ring around the tap on the pipe side curved to tit the contour of the pipe and bodily compressed between the shoulder and the pipe, a can, an air-tube extending down into the can, and connections from the tap to the tube including a reducing section.

3. In an air system for an ice plant, an air supply pipe, a tap therefrom extending into the pipe where the section of the pipe is curved, an annular shoulder on the tap outside of the pipe, a solid ring of com pressible metal around the tap on the pipe side curved to fit the contour of the pipe and bodily compressed between the shoulder and the pipe, a can, an air-tube extending down into the can, and separable connections from the tap to the tube.

4. In an air system of an ice plant, an air supply lateral, a tap therefrom where the section ot' the pipe is curved and having a shoulder, an air drop tube connected with the tap and a solid washer of sott metal be tween the tap and the pipe having one side of the washer channeled to overlap the sides of the pipe and adapted to be permanently altered in its shape by the pressure to conformv to and seal against the side surface of the pipe.

5. In an air system for an ice plant, an air supply pipe, a tap for drawing air therefrom, a flexible connection from the tap and a terminal upon said connection having two taper lit portions of different diameters and adapted to fit air pipes of different sizes.

6. In an air system for an ice plant, an air supply pipe, a tap for drawing air therefrom, a flexible connection from said tap, a terminal upon said flexible connection, having two taper fit portions of different external diameters of terminal, an ice can, an air pipe therefor fixed against the wall of the can and having an internal diameter for connection with' one diameter of the terminal and a second air pipe independent of said can, intended to supply air to the can from 20 said terminal and having a dierent interior diameter for the other diameter of the terminal.

7 In an air system for an ice plant, a block of cans adapted to act as a unit, an air 25 lateral rigidly secured to the block, taps from the lateral at intervals, flexible connections from said taps, air pipes rigidly secured tothe walls of the cans and terminals between the flexible connections and the air 3.0 pipes bent laterally and downwardly to free the flexible connection from the path of ice discharge.

8. In an air system for an iceplant, a block of cans adapted to act as a unit, an air lateral 35 rigidly secured to the block, taps from the lateral at intervals, flexible connections from said taps, air pipes rigidly secured to the walls of the cans, terminals between the flexible connections and the air pipes, said '40 terminals being bent laterally and downwardly to free the flexible connection from Y the path of ice discharge and being of different diameters adapted tot either in said fixed pipes or in a removable air pipe of 45 larger diameter.

JOSEPH A. MARTOOELLG. 

